Increasing Awareness About Web Access Barriers - 34 views
started by Lynne Herr on 21 Jul 13
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#1 Lynne Herr on 21 Jul 13Please comment on something you learned from a classmate's shared bookmark about barriers to web access. -
#2 Kim J on 25 Jul 13Iris Erickson shared her article making Web 2.0 Accessibility Mainstream by Cheris Carpenter. The Design-for All section stood out to me the most. I love the concept of making electronic resources easy for any ability to read and navigate. It seems like common sense which makes me wonder why it hasn't been done before. I hope websites designers use the design-for-all process on all of their work in the future so the web world can be more accessible for everyone. -
#3 Audrey O'Clair on 25 Jul 13Becca! I just loved the blog Teachers at Risk. You're right! The slideshow at the bottom was clear and valuable. With so many resources out there it is tough to know where to start. Thanks for sharing. I am eager to share this with my summer colleagues who teach an early intervention literacy program. -
#4 Kim J on 25 Jul 13Amy Franklin shared a blog called Teaching All Students. First, I would love to go to the Accessibility Summit, it sounds really interesting. The one thing that stood out among all of that information was "People retain 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see and 50% of what they see and hear." If this is the case than what does that say for those that can't see or those that can't hear? This fact should be given to all teachers because it puts it in black and white which will motivate them (even more than they already do) to reach out of the box to figure out how to supplement the extra percentage that they are not getting.
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#5 Amy Franklin on 25 Jul 13I loved Rebecca's article about the web for struggling/reluctant readers and writers. A lot of my high school students aren't too keen about reading or writing essays or think they're "too cool for that." This article offers suggestions and examples of technologies (in the slideshow) to engage them. It would be so valuable to be able to engage students via technologies they find valuable while incorporating some new ones. I've started doing this in my classroom (just testing it out) and will definitely include more this year. -
#6 Kim J on 25 Jul 13Amy, thanks for sharing Google's new tool! I love how they are trying to open up a whole new subject for visually impaired students that was inaccessible to them before. I can't imagine having the web out there and not being able to see or learn all the math and science. I like how it is different than other text-to-speech applications where you can change the voice if it is not clear enough. It seems to be more user friendly. Between this new tool and their web based operating system for computers I think they are definatly staying at the top of the innovative list!
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#7 Kim J on 25 Jul 13Amy, your Web for all learners post is one that I found extremely helpful. I also teach a high percentage of ELL students so having a way for them to do things on the web without having the language is key. Most teachers don't think about how difficult that is for someone that is lacking the language. This is a great reminder!
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#8 Lisa Gray on 25 Jul 13Amy, I particularly liked your article entitled Web4All Learners and what can be done to assist ELL students. Although we don't have a huge ELL population, the students we do have are almost immediately labeled as learning disabled. The only thing in their way is the barrier with technology and understanding a second language. It frustrates me to think that there are teachers who won't or can't recognize the intelligence of a student just because they struggle with a second language. I am fortunate to understand a little bit of Spanish, but we have so many teachers that are not bilingual and immediately let an ELL student slip through the cracks. These kids are so much fun because I can learn from them, too. We just have to find the resources to open up their world so they can share what they know. -
#9 Lisa Gray on 25 Jul 13Kim, your article At School | Students with Learning Disabilities - NCLD, is a powerful resource for advocating for students as teachers and parents. There are so many helpful explanations not just of disabilities but the programs that students may qualify for. It is very user friendly and helps the reader understand the assistive technology that is available. This is a wonderful resource. Too many times we think that the assistive technology is going to be expensive, but this helps point out that there are so many free things we can be using to advocate for students.
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#10 Ali Berman on 25 Jul 13Amy, I really enjoyed reading the blog Web4AllLearners. This is a great blog from an ELL's teachers point of view on Web 2.0 barriers. It really explains how far behind students who come from a non English speaking country are, and how long it takes to catch them up. In my little experience as an educator, I have not worked with really any ELL students, so I didn't realize how long it takes them to catch up, and how a computer program won't help them that much, since they may come from a family that is poverty stricken and not have the technology. I thought this was a very interesting article. -
#11 Ali Berman on 25 Jul 13Lisa, your website about how to see if a website is accessible is so helpful. It is so easy to understand and gives such easy ways to check if a website is accessible for people with disabilities. I know some of these tips will come in handy.
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#12 Katie Strey on 25 Jul 13Jen, your apps on FizzBrain were great. I particularly liked the emphasis on students with autism as I have a large student population with this disorder. I thought that the app for making eye contact was great because this is a common issue. I think having a computer program to help them with this would be very beneficial because it would give them practice without a human to make eye contact with at first. As they get better at it, they could practice with another person. This app was very cheap for $2.99 and compatible with many personal mobile devices that people use in their daily lives like iPads. -
#13 Katie Strey on 25 Jul 13Lisa, I thought your post about how to use your Mac as a text reader was great. It reminded me that I learned about all kids of special Mac features in a former class. The Mac computer really has the ability to be an assistive device, which is much more versatile than some of the other Assistive Technologies out there on the market. There are shortcut keys for all of the options available.
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#14 Rebecca Martin on 26 Jul 13Lisa, I like the Web Accessibility Guide you provided. It gives a brief overview of each disability and what assisting technology is best suited for it. I know that there is so much out there, but until you get that student in your class, it isn't meaningful. Having this resource available will make it so much easier to choose resources if, and when, you get a learning disabled student. -
#15 Rebecca Martin on 26 Jul 13Jennifer, I really like this search engine! Since I teach second graders the information they locat on line is usually too hard to read. I, too, have to limit my kids to specific sites. This does give them more flexibility, but also an understanding of locating materials that are within their ability range. When students know what they are capable of, they tend to push themselves harder to improve. Great site!
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#16 Rebecca Martin on 26 Jul 13Amy, I love the Apps for Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities site! What a great collection of apps for our struggling students. What I really liked is that the prices were listed so there are no surprises when you look it up in the App Store.
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#17 Rebecca Martin on 26 Jul 13Audrey, the UDL placemat is a great resource. Since there is so much available out there, it'd be nice to print this out and refer to it often!
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#18 Lisa Gray on 26 Jul 13Jenn, I am really intrigued with the the FizzBrain apps for the phone. I am getting more and more students with autism and the biggest difficulty I have faced is the inability to focus and not be bothered by outside noise. These apps are great ideas to engage students even if they have to take a moment away from the classroom to spend focus time. I have a colleague whose son is autistic and I these games will be great for her to use with him. So glad you found this.
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#19 Kim J on 27 Jul 13Jennifer, I love Twurdy! I love how it has the colored coded system to make it a whole lot easier for all students, not just students with disabilities.
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#20 Kim J on 27 Jul 13It is amazing to take a look at what types of technology is available for students now, unlike when we were all in school. This article explains all the cool things that are available, like blogs, wikis, texting and tweeting. I love how the author reminds teachers that we need to make sure that we are teaching students how to comment with respect. Very interesting article, Ali!
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#21 Kim J on 27 Jul 13Katie, I like how this article points out the problems that students and adults with disabilities face while trying to use the web. I think these are good reminders for us as we plan lessons or group work. I am excited reading and watching what is coming for technology and how companies are working to fix these problems.
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#22 Kim J on 27 Jul 13Jennifer, I love the FizzBrain Apps!! My favorite is the Look in my Eye's game. We all know that this is a difficult task for autistic kids so this game gives them the practice and training that they need. I am definitely going to bookmark this page. Thanks!
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#23 Kim J on 27 Jul 13Lisa, your site Digital Media Access Group, gives great ways to check the accessibility of a website. I think teachers should read this and keep these things in mind if they have students with disabilities in the class (which lets be honest, we all do!).
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#24 Kim J on 27 Jul 13Lisa, I am a new Mac user but I am finding that I love it more and more everyday. There are so many things that it does that my PC didn't do. This is a great tool to keep in mind. Thanks!
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#25 Kim J on 27 Jul 13Amy, your apps for dyslexia and learning differences are great! This is another one that I am going to save. I am always looking for new apps and games that I can use with my students that are also educational. Thanks for sharing!
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#26 Katie Strey on 28 Jul 13Ali, your article called Blogs, Wikis, and Text Messaging... was great! I liked it because it pointed out that Web 2.0 tools have the ability to create an equal playing field for students that have disabilities like dysgraphia, dyslexia, and other reading and writing issues. Not only can these students use a computer to record their answers legibly, but it can also read to them using a free software program. Time and frustration these kids face can be minimized. Another opportunity I think it brings is that these students may be able to participate to a greater extent or be heard. Students that blog or post things online have the opportunity to review their thoughts and plan out what to say or write and proofread it without handwriting getting in the way.
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#27 Kathy Hannon on 28 Jul 13Kim, your site from the National Center for Learning Disabilities is one to truly keep bookmarked as a resource for parents. It is just what I would have on my parent Diigo page to educate parents about what their children deserve and what is available to them. I have the book From Emotions to Advocacy by Pam and Pete Wright and it is called "The Special Ed Survival Guide". There are so many things parents just aren't aware of in terms of how to help their children be successful in school. I love that this site offers information about assistive tech, accommodations, IEP/504 information, homework, etc! There are wonderful podcasts from the parent's perspective, as well. I remember watching a video in one of my autism classes of a woman who left teaching and became a parent advocate in the schools to help parents with children with special needs understand the system and get the services their children needed. This site does just that. Nice addition to the Diigo. Thanks! -
#28 Samantha Wood on 29 Jul 13Ali, I think your website has great ideas for students with dyslexia. I learned that students with dyslexia cannot be rushed to answer a question and if they are able to discuss online at their own pace they are able to answer the question better. I also feel the text messaging serves the same purpose of giving the students time to think about to type or text to make sure they get their wording correct as well. -
#29 Samantha Wood on 29 Jul 13Katie, I learned from your site that it is a legal requirement to make websites accessible for those with disabilities. Of course lots of them do not and there is an increase in how the web is and is becoming more accessible for people with disabilities. For example, there are screen readers that have made working the web for the blind possible. There are many other techniques and equipment that have made using the web easier. There is still more to come in the future as well.
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#30 Hailey Bechtol on 29 Jul 13Ali- I find your article very helpful. I especially liked the part about Blogging since I am new to the blogging world. I learned that Blogging can be quite helpful for getting teens to express themselves more freely and more frequently. I find it interesting that teen bloggers write more often. I do think that it is hard to get reluctant teens to write...especially with pen and paper. In regards to disabilities, it is very helpful on a personal level. My friend's daughter had surgery called DBS-Deep Brain Stimulation for her condition called Dystonia. She has had to learn to use her left hand, so she has not been writing as often. I am here in Maine with her now and she is recovering beautifully. Blogging would be a great way to get her writing again.Thank you, Ali! My friend Jenny thanks you too. -
#31 Kelli Gerhardt on 05 Aug 13I really liked Ali's article a lot. Because I teach middle school I can see how blogging can be very useful to my students. Some of my students have a hard time expressing themselves in a class setting because it can be very intimidating to a student to open up in front of their classmates. Using a blog will allow students, any students, to talk about difficult situations more easily. Blogging is great for students with disabilities because again, they are able to express themselves without fear of being made fun of by their fellow classmates.
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